Exercising apparatus



Oct. 2, 1934. M. B. wRoBLEY 1,975,382

EXERCISING APPARATUS Filed March 1. 1975-4A 2 Sheets-Sheet l 10 @wwwa/y Oct. 2s 1934. M. B. wRoBLEY ExERcIsING APPARATUS Filed March 1, 1934 2 'sheets-sheet 2 Patented ct. 2, 1934 UNITED f STATES PATENT OFFICE y c.,

9 Claims.

` This invention relates to improvements in exercising apparatus. In my Patent No. 1,952,830, granted March 27, 1934, I have described and claimedhan exercising apparatus by means of f 6 which the exerciser can apply to his body bending forcesthat tend to llex the body at or about the level of the hips, and which can be turned about the body so as to exercise all of the abdominal, siderand back muscles that are brought into play for the purpose of resisting the bending forces produced by means of thedevice. It is the object of the present invention to produce a rsimplified and improved form of apparatus of the type described in the above identied patent, and so designed .that it cank be manufactured at less cost and still produce the same results. c

This invention, briey described, consists of a base, or support, which isadapted to rest on'the i-sioor, and which may be theffloor itself. A circular ring is mounted forvrotation about its own Ycenter and in a horizontal plane. A compression bar has its lower end pivotally attached tothe ring so that it can swing in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the ring. lThe upper end'of the vbar has a handle that can vbe grasped by the exerciser, and a pulley that engages with an jendless belt which surrounds Vthe body of the person exercising.

Having thus brieily describedV my invention it will now be described in detail and for this purpose reference will now be had to the accompanying holes 24, andis provided with a winged nut 27,

drawings', in which it has been illustrated in its preferred form,-and in which:

Fig. lis a side elevation of the device in operative position, Y

Fig. ,2 is a sectional top plan View taken on plane 2 2, Fig. 1, I

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, looking in the'direction of arrows 3-3 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side, elevation loosing in the direction of arrow 4 in Fig. 1,

f Fig. 5 is a section, taken on line 5 5, Figs. 1 and 4,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the .upper endof thecompression bar, showing the .handle and the pulley in position thereon,

Fig. 7 is a section taken on line 7 7, Fig. 2, Fig; 8 is a section of a ring support, taken on line 8-'8, Fig. 2, A v v l Fig. 9' shows a modified form of ring support,

andf, v-, N

Fig. 10is av section taken on line 10-10, Fig. 9. `In they. drawings numeral 10 c designates/the base; which is preferably formed from a pieceA of plywood, and which is adapted to be supported by the floor 11. It should be understood, however, that the floor itself may be the base. Ex,- tending upwardly from the uppersurface of the baseare three supports 12, which may be'hickory blocks. The supports are provided with longitudinally extending openings 13 for the reception of bolts 14, by means of which the blocks are secured to the base. Each block is provided at its upper end with a notch 15 in which is located a circular ring 16. A washer 17 is clamped betweenl the upper end of each block and the nut 18, and projects over the ring to hold it in position, as shownin Fig. 8. The ring is mounted loosely in the notches 15, and is preferably lmade 20 and 21'of the compression bar 22. The compression bar is preferably made of steel rod, doubled up at the upper end of the compression bar, as shown in Fig. 4. The lower ends o f the parallel portions Vare connectedy by a rivet 23.

Anumber of holes 24 are provided in the section 22a, extending from the top of the bar 22'to the rivet 23. An extension bar 25 is provided with a bolt 26, that extends through any one of the that serves to clamp the extension bar 25 to the section 22a. A washer'28 is provided between the f ynut andthe section 22a, as shown in Figs.[4` and 5. A notch 22D is ground into the rod 22a, in orderto admit the extension vbar 25 into the groove formed by the parallel portionsof the section 22a. It is evident that adjustment can be length.

The upper end of extension bar .25 has secured Y to it a casting 29, that is -held in place by a rivet .100

30. The part 3l, which projects outwardly,` has a handle 32 that can be grasped by the exerciser in the manner shown in Fig. 1. A roller, or pulley 33 is mounted for rotation on the upper end of bar 25 and is supported on the casting 29. ,105

,7.0 of cold rolled steel rod, in order to slide smoothly made Yby'moving the bar 25 so that the bolt 26 will engage the hole 24 that gives the desired construction .is

shown. In this modication the blocks 12 have been replaced by a bracket 37, formed from a rod bent into a horizontal base portion, as shown in Fig. l0, and projecting upward in two branches 37a and 37b. Branch 37b is bent at right angles, as shown in Fig. 9, and it mounts a roller 38, which is held in place by a washer 39 and a pin 40. A roller 41 is mounted on the branch 37a and is held in place by a washer 42 and a pin 43. The portion of the branch 37a projecting above the roller 41 is bent over the ring 16. Bracket 37 is made firm on base l() by the screws 44, the washers 45 and the nuts 46.

Where the device is to be used in a gymnasium the base 10 can be dispensed with and the supporting blocks 12 or brackets 37 bolted to the floor, which then takes the place of the base 10.

Let us now assume that the parts have been assembled as described and shown. A person, which -has been referred. to as the exerciser, steps on the base 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The belt 36 is placed about the body at the height of the hips and is also placed about the pulley 33. The

. height of the pulley 33 is adjusted so as to bring it to the position nearest to that desired for the belt. The exerciser now grasps the handle 32, with the palm down, and while exerting a slight downward and outward pressure, moves his arm back andvforth in a semi-circle on the side of the body; after changing hands he repeats the operation on the opposite side of the body; this adjusts the position of the belt on the pulley 33. The exerciser now proceeds to exercise by oscil- Y lating the parts in the manner just described,

but exerting a definite amount of pressure upon vthe handle 32.

The pulley 33, which cooperates with the belt, has a concave face, as shown in Fig. 6, as this shape has been found to be desirable in serving to adjust the belt, and it does not wear the edges of the belt as flanged pulleys do.

When the pulley 33 is moved about the body, ring 16 turns about its center, and the friction between it and the supports may be reduced by the use of the construction shown in Figs. 9 and l0.

Having described my invention what I claim as new is:

1. An exercising apparatus comprising, in combination, a support on which an exerciser stands, a ring movably mounted on the support to rotate in a plane and about its center, the ring surrounding a center line of the exerciser, a bar having its lower end pivotally connected with the ring to swing in a plane at right angles thereto, a handle adjacent the upper end of the bar, and a pulleyl rotatably connected with the bar at its upper end and carrying a belt engaging the exerciser.

2. An exercising apparatus comprising, in combination, a support on which an exerciser stands, a ring movably mounted on the support to rotate in a plane and about its center, the ring surrounding a center line of the exerciser, a bar whose lower end is bifurcated, the ring having two axially aligned trunnions, whose axis is a chord, the lower end of each bifurcation being provided with a bearing operatively connected with a trunnion, the upper end of the bar having a handle, and a pulley rotatably mounted on the bar near its upper end, said pulley carrying a belt engaging the exerciser.

3. An exercising apparatus comprising, in combination, a support on which an exerciser stands,

va ring movably mounted on the support to rotate in 'a plane and about its center, the ring surrounding a center line of the exerciser, a bar whose lower end is bifurcated, the ring having two axially aligned trunnions, whose axis is a chord, the lower end of each bifurcation being provided with a bearing operatively connected with a trunnion, the bar having an upper portion adjustably secured to a lower portion, the upper portion having a handle rigidly attached to it, and a pulley rotatably mounted on the upper portion of the bar, said pulley carrying a belt engaging the exerciser.

4, An exercising device comprising, in combination, a base, a plurality of bearing blocks attached to the base and projecting upwardly therefrom, the blocks being arranged in a circle, a ring movably mounted on the blocks for rotation in a plane and about its center, and a bar having its lower end pivotally attached to the ring to swing in a plane at right angles thereto, the upper end of the bar having a handle and a pulley, the latter being rotatable and carrying a belt engaging the exerciser.

5. An exercising device comprising, in combination, a base, a plurality of bearing blocks at- 100 tached to the base and projecting upwardly therefrom, the blocks being arranged in Va circle, a ring movably mounted on the blocks for rotation in a plane and about its center, the ring having two aligned trunnions, Whose common axis is parallel to a diameter, a rod having its lower end bifurcated, the end of each bifurcationhaving a bearing operatively connected'with a trunnion, the upper end of the bar having a handle and a pulley, said pulley carrying a belt engaging the exerciser.

6. An exercising machine for exercising the back, side and abdominal muscles while the exerciser stands in an upright position, comprising, l in combination, a base on which the exerciser is -115 supported, a ring extending around a center line of the exerciser, means on the base for rotatably supporting the ring in a substantially horizontal plane, a compression bar having its lower endpivotally connected with the ring to swing in a '120 plane at right angles thereto, the upper end of the bar having a handle to be grasped by the exerciser, and a pulley rotatably mounted on said bar near the handle, the pulley serving to engage N an endless belt encircling the body oi the exer- 125 ciser in the vicinity of the hips.

'7. An exercising device of the class described, comprising, in combination, a base, a plurality of bearings mounted thereon, a ring engaging the n bearings and mounted Vthereon to rotate in a plane and about its center, a compressionV bar having its lower end hingedly connected with the ring to swing in a plane at right angles thereto, the upper end cf the compression bar having a handle, and a pulley rotatively connected with the upper end of said bar and carrying a belt engaging the exerciser. l Y

8. An exercising apparatus comprisingjn combination, a support on which an exerciser stands, a ring movably mounted on the support to rotate 140 in a plane and about its center, the ring surrounding a center line of the exerciser, a bar having its lower end pivotally connected with the ring to swing in a plane at right angles thereto, a handle adjacent the upper end of thebar, andr 45 a pulley rotatably connected withthe barV at its upper end,A the face of the pulley -being concave and carryinga beltengaging the exerciser.

9.V An exercising apparatus comprising, in combination, a support on which an exerciser-stands, i5() otally connected with the ring, to swing in a plane at right angles thereto, a handle adjacent the upper end of the compression member, and a pulley rotatably connected with the compression member at its upper end and carrying a belt engaging the exerciser.

MATTHEW B. WROBLEY. 

